The field of the present invention is computer command interfacing and the provision of user control functionality in a data processing system. More particularly, the invention relates to that category of input/output system known as the user interface, species of which include graphical display and menu-driven command capability.
The use of graphical user interface technology to operate data processing equipment is known in the art. Commercially available graphical user interface systems include "WINDOWS", by Microsoft Corporation, and "PRESENTATION MANAGER", by International Business Machines Corporation. By the expression "graphical user interface" is meant a data input/output interface providing a graphical display, including text and associated graphics information, as opposed to a text-only display. Such systems are ideally suited and conventionally adapted for menu-driven operations. That is, they allow a user to control computer operations by selecting commands from one or more menus exhibited on a display without entering statements in alphanumeric form via a keyboard. Selections are made using a mouse or other control device that moves a pointer to an icon image in the display. An icon is a visual symbol graphics display which signifies information and function, for a menu entry. An icon is "selected" by moving a mouse-control pointer or cursor to it and pressing a button on the mouse. In the art, this is referred to as "point-and-click".
Investigation has revealed a need for a visually apparent, graphical user interface control system that would allow a user, by its activation, to create and modify highly structured form documents with one or more replicatable entry fields. Thus, where data entry into a data store is desired, structured text forms with duplicatable fields could be used to enter information into the data store and provide various views of that store. Such text forms would appear as a document and would also represent a collection of data entry fields with labels in the main work area of the window (user area). The entry fields would be organized into meaningful groups as defined by one or more applications. Modification of the number of existing entry fields and entry field groups would be required where a new application requires additional (or fewer) data items or groups of data items.
A preferred system would provide a data entry form possessing the characteristics of both dialogue boxes and text files in that users would have entry fields to specify requested data, but must be able to tailor the form by dynamically adding additional data entry fields where permitted by the application. Preferably, this control capability would be provided in a visually apparent manner, indicating to the user that data fields can be replicated and suggesting the manner in which that replication can be implemented.